UGANDA: KOREA-JAPAN IN DIPLOMATIC ROW OVER MONUMENT

GULU-UGANDA: Mr. Martin Ojara Mapenduzi Gulu district Chairman, Northern Uganda knew little that two Ugandan ladies were working quietly with South Korea to get the money to contract Museum at Acholi cultural Institution (Acholi Ker Kwaro) palace in Gulu city, which eventually parks a diplomatic feud between the two Asians countries.

Attempt by the Japanese Ambassador to Uganda H.E Kazuaki Kameda came  to meet the political head of Gulu district in September 2019 to ascertain whether the leadership of the district had a hand in the project, unfortunately Hon. Martin Ojara Mapenduzi was on a foreign trip to Europe. To avoid pullout of Japan from developing Gulu City, Hon Ojara had to block Seoul out from meddling in the deal Tokyo has with Gulu.

“The ambassador alternative was to meet Town Mayor to discuss the project but he found Hon Labeja George was equally ignorant about the deal,” Mapenduzi said.

There was two Korean ladies had contact with Silver Odok, daughter of former Resident district Commissioner for Gulu Peter Odok W’ Ochieng secretly plotted to construct monument in Gulu Cultural Institution.

He adds that the Ambassador narrated to him that his diplomatic mission has been following the conversation between the South Korean ladies and two Ugandans ladies for month, and in their conversation the two Ugandans ladies wanted to build Museum at Acholi Ker Kwaro, Mr. Ojara said.

Therefore, when the Museum is build, then the Korean will construct their statute of two chairs, a woman sitting in one chair while the other chair will remain empty without a man.

The empty chair was to demonstrate that during Korean and Japanese war, the empty chair would reawaken Japan act of killing Korean men, and the empty chair indicates the missing husband, the Ambassador of Japan reportedly told Mr. Ojara.

“We do not want to enter into Korean and Japanese war, I told the Japanese Ambassador. I called Ms. Jolly Laker, but to my surprised she was not aware of the fused between the Asians countries.”  Ojara narrated Laker’s position to him.

Both Laker and Odok did not know they were trading in ancient diplomatic row between the two Asian countries.

“Japan is following Ms Odok’s conversation with the two Korean ladies,” the Ambassador told Ojara.

Laker is conversant with diplomacy, and her visit to Seoul months ago, manifested maturity and knowledge in dealing with foreign agents.

She was Executive Director, later Ambassador of Invisible Children, an American military generated Non Governmental organization based in San Diego USA and in Gulu, Northern Uganda.

Sources intimate that after the Paper presentation in Seoul, Ms. Silvery Odok and Ms. Laker engaged in serious misunderstanding because the former lacked diplomatic language thus little attention was accorded to Odok.

A diplomatic source told this Paper that Ms. Odok started to accuse Ms Laker of attempting to patronize the project.

“The two Ugandans ladies parted right from Soul, each boarded different Airbus’.” A diplomatic source added.

Ms. Laker confident says when Ms. Laker learned about the diplomatic row, she met Japan Ambassador and bag UGX 600 million to build a Museum in Gulu City.

One of the journalists who were pursuing the story too, Emma Okano told this Paper that Odok has since switched off her Mobile phone and gone silent.

It’s alleged that Acholi Cultural Institution primer Ambrose Olaa is in dealing with Ms Odok. The two are said to have received financial gifts.

When Oyeng Yeng News contacted Mr. Olaa, he played ignorance about the Korean dealing.

“I am not aware about what you are saying” Olaa said before hanging his phone.

Ends